Entry 31: It's Kind of a Funny Story

"So you want to quit school?" Dad brings us back to the real-deal stuff
"I don't want to quit." I turn to him "I want to transfer."
"But that means quitting the school you're currently at-"
"He can't handle the other school!" Sarah says.  "Look at-"
"Hold on a second. I can talk," I say.  "Guys." I look at all three of them in turn. "One thing that they do in here is give you a lot of time to think...If I don't make some kind of big change, I'm going to come out of here wondering how anything is different from before, and I'm going to end up right back here."

Page 413

The first line in the first chapter of this novel is, "It's so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself."  Now the book is coming to an end.  Craig's last night in the hospital is about to start and his family has come for their last visit.  They seem to spend a lot of the novel discussing craig as if he isn't in the room or speculating the cause of his illness in vapid terms.  I really loved the moment where Craig interrupted to say, "I can talk." Craig had to learn how to speak for himself to survive.

Entry 30: It's Kind of a Funny Story

"Don't talk to her!"  Muqtada turns and shakes his finger at me. "She try and make sex in my bed!"
"It wasn't just me, okay" Nia bends her face at him.  He turns back.  "In case you didn't notice, Craig was on top of me.  And we weren't going to have sex."
"Woman is temptress.  My wife leave me.  I  know."
"Craig, I'm outta here."
"Uh, okay!" I answer.  I try and think how to sum it up.  "I like making out with you...but I don't really like you as a person..."
"Yeah, same here," says Nia.

Page 352

This passage involves a few characters I haven't discussed yet.  Muqtada is Craig's Egyptian roommate in the hospital.  Nia's background is a little more complicated. She's been Aaron's girlfriend sense all three of them got accepted to the pre-professional high school. Craig has been unrequitedly in love with her and after they both found out that the other suffers from depression she broke up with Aaron.  She kinda sucks but she's the female character in a young adult fiction novel so I'm not gonna hate on her.  Craig is figuring out a lot of stuff sucks.  Anyway, she comes to visit and they make out, even though craig has a date with Noelle in like an hour, until Muqtada comes in.
There is a movie based on this book and this entire scene goes almost exactly like this until Craig speaks up.  In the movie they dismiss my favorite line in the book as he screams, "I love you!" and Nia walks away.  I think it's really interesting that it goes the complete opposite direction in the movie. Having craig desperately cling to Nia for one last second speaks more of his personality and leads to more development in the plot.
In the end to movie is actually better than the book.  Now that it has been a few weeks sense I finished it I see that this book isn't very good.  Vizzini wrote this book in less than a month a week after he got out of his own five day stay at a psychiatric hospital.  The whole thing just seems rushed and less developed than it should be.  It does have some really great moments, one of wich will be in my next entry but all around, eh.

Entry 29: It's Kind of a Funny Story

"Here's the game: it's just questions.  I ask you a question, and you ask me a question...If you want to you can answer.  But no matter what, you have to end with another question."
...
"I like talking to you.  It's like a math problem.  Do you like talking to me?"
"It's alright.  Do you like math?"
"I thought I did..."

Page 284

A fellow teenage patient pulls a conversation out of craig.  Her name is Noelle and she has self harm scars all over her face.  I marked the relation of conversation to math as i read this book the first time.  I can't quite tell why I did that.  Maybe it brought up a memory of conversation with someone.  I guess it makes me think of talking to someone in a completely different way than one is used to.  I find it really interesting when someone refuses to stick to the basic steps in a conversation because you have to think and speak differently to get them to reveal information that would otherwise be given up so easily.

Entry 28: It's Kind of a Funny Story

"I'm depressed, okay, Aaron?"
"Yeah, I know, about what?"
"No, man, I'm depressed in general. I have, like clinical depression."
"No way! You're like the happiest guy I know!"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's a joke, Craig,  You're like the craziest person I know...But you know, the problem is you don't chill enough.  Like even when you're here, you're always worried about school or something;  you never just kick back and let things slide, you know what I mean?  We're having a party tonight-where are you gonna be?"

Page 255

Basically this conversation ends with a, "Fuck you" which is what Aaron deserves.  He is blatantly insensitive after one of his friends finally comes clean about his mental health.  Making jokes and trying to solve Craig's problems with petty advise show that Aaron may have never been a true friend.  This is the point in the novel where our protagonist figures out that cutting some ties could benefit him.

Entry 27: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Even if I'm here just through Monday, the rumors will start flying, and the homework will pile up.
Where's Craig?  He's sick...I heard he realized he's gay...I heard his parents are sending him to a different school.
He couldn't handle it here, anyway.  He was always such a loser.
I heard he took someone's pills and freaked out.  He's freaking out in front of his computer. He can't move or anything.  He's catatonic.  He woke up and thinks he's a horse.  Well, whatever...

Page 229


These italicized parts are all in his head.  As part of his cycling, Craig is imagining all the rumors his peers could be spreading in response to his mysterious absence.  Cycling is a big part of his depression.  When he feels anxious about something he thinks about it over and over.  This usually leads to more stress.  He was so stressed about school that he almost ended his own life.  Now that he has survived he still cant stop worrying about it.  He wants to get out of treatment quickly so he can get back to his homework and emails but he is deathly terrified of homework and emails.